Latest news with #Ervine
France 24
22-05-2025
- Sport
- France 24
Zimbabwe bowl against England in one-off Test
The overcast conditions in Nottingham promised to aid a Zimbabwe attack featuring 6ft 8in paceman Blessing Muzarabani, who has already taken 26 Test wickets at an average of under 19 this year. "Due to the overhead conditions, hopefully we can utilise the first session and get a little bit out of the ball," said Ervine at the toss. Zimbabwe came into this four-day match on the back of a 138-run thrashing by a County Select XI in their lone warm-up game at Grace Road. But Ervine said: "Usually our preparation is a lot shorter than this. We've really enjoyed spending time in Leicester. Our guys got a lot out of that. "It's a special occasion today. The guys are really excited to get going and be part of this Test match. The Test in 2003, my brother (Sean) was involved, and he's watching today. It's a momentous occasion for all of us and it will only sink in later down the line." England had already named their team on Tuesday, with Sam Cook given a Test debut. Cook's place was a reward for one of county cricket's most consistent wicket-takers with Essex. The 27-year-old's 321 first-class wickets have come at an average of only 19.85. The clash with Zimbabwe is only England's second home Test without retired fast bowlers James Anderson and Stuart Broad -- who presented Cook with his England cap -- and the injured Chris Woakes, in the past 18 years. Zak Crawley has been retained as one of England's opening batsmen alongside Ben Duckett. England captain Ben Stokes is making a comeback after the all-rounder's lengthy rehabilitation from his latest hamstring tear. "Generally, here the wicket is good at Trent Bridge," said Stokes. "Go out with the bat in hand and put a big score on the board. "It is exciting for Cooky (Sam Cook). Broady (Stuart Broad) gave him the cap and said 'he hasn't knocked the door down, but he kicked it down'." The Zimbabwe Test is a warm-up for England's five-match series against India before they head to Australia for the Ashes later this year. Teams Zimbabwe: Ben Curran, Brian Bennett, Craig Ervine (capt), Sean Williams, Sikandar Raza, Wessly Madhevere, Tafadzwa Tsiga (wkt), Richard Ngarava, Blessing Muzarabani, Tanaka Chivanga, Victor Nyauchi © 2025 AFP
The Hindu
21-05-2025
- Sport
- The Hindu
ENG vs ZIM Test: Skipper Craig Ervine urges Zimbabwe to play the game not the occasion against England
Zimbabwe captain Craig Ervine wants his side to focus on the task at hand rather than the sense of occasion when it faces England in a Test for the first time in over 20 years. This week's four-day match at Trent Bridge marks the first Test between the two nations since 2003, a series that featured James Anderson's debut and Nasser Hussain's final victory as England skipper. But while Ervine acknowledges the significance of the match, he knows thinking about it too much won't help his side. 'As a group it's an honour and a privilege to get the opportunity,' Ervine told a pre-match press conference at Trent Bridge on Wednesday. 'Some of us have been playing a long time and have never had the chance to come and play England. The group is really excited and everyone is taking it in. It's probably not going to sink in until quite a while after the Test so we're just trying to enjoy every moment of it. But a lot of the chat has been about trying to stay focused on the basics, not worrying too much about the outside noise, the crowd, the occasion.' Ervine's side is being mentored this week by Zimbabwe-born Gary Ballance, who played 23 Tests for England before returning to his homeland for a brief second crack at international cricket before retiring in 2023. A former Yorkshire captain and housemate of Joe Root, Ballance left Headingley in the aftermath of the racism scandal that engulfed the club. He admitted using racist language towards Azeem Rafiq, but said the spinner had been his 'best mate in cricket'. 'Gary is fairly down to earth, he just gets on with it,' said Ervine. 'What he brings to this group is a lot of clarity in these conditions. He's got a lot of knowledge of this ground and did exceptionally well when he played here. He's been really good.'
Belfast Telegraph
07-05-2025
- Politics
- Belfast Telegraph
Sam McBride on what secret files reveal about David Ervine, Gerry Kelly and the UDA
Then-PUP leader Ervine threatened to bomb Dublin if the Irish Government didn't 'behave itself'Gerry Kelly says that claims that he was put in charge of restructuring the IRA are rubbishThe UDA was completely legal in the UK until 1992 – why? David Ervine is now mostly remembered as a peacemaker.
Mint
01-05-2025
- Sport
- Mint
Mehidy Hasan Miraz registers a unique record during second Test against Zimbabwe
Chattogram [Bangladesh], May 1 (ANI): All-rounder Mehidy Hasan Miraz became just the third Bangladesh player and 39th overall in Test cricket to score a century and collect a five-wicket haul in the same match as the Asian side completed an impressive innings and 106-run triumph to level the two-game series with Zimbabwe, as per the ICC. It was a stunning all-round performance from Mehidy, who struck his second Test century when amassing 104 during Bangladesh's first innings and then took advantage of a pitch that had plenty in it for spinners when picking up five Zimbabwe wickets to help his side clinch the win. Mehidy, who joined former captain Shakib Al Hasan and all-rounder Sohag Gazi as Bangladesh players to have scored a century and registered a five-wicket haul in the same Test, played down the significance of his efforts after the match and instead paid tribute to his teammates for their role in the win. "I am feeling good. We lost the first match, so we had to win this match. The boys were excited (for this match), the played as a team. Credit goes to the bowlers. Taijul (Islam) supported me. Tanzim (Hasan Sakib) and Hasan Mahmud showed their character, and they gave us an opportunity to get a century. I have also played for so many years. We have a lot of senior players. We have good seniors in the team, and they keep supporting us on how to play in these conditions. They have lots of experience. If we play together, we are definitely a very good team," Mehidy said, as quoted by the ICC. Zimbabwe captain Craig Ervine was disappointed with the performance of his side, especially the efforts of the batting group after the top-order had made such a good start during the first innings. Half-centuries from Sean Williams and Nick Welch had put Zimbabwe in a strong position at 177/2 after they won the toss and elected to bat first, but a flurry of quick wickets saw the side dismissed for just 227 as Bangladesh gained all the momentum. "The first innings, we knew it was a really good wicket to bat on first. The first day, for a long period, we did a lot of things right but let it slip towards the end. 227 in the first innings, you are always behind the eight-ball. The way they (Bangladesh) batted, they batted us out of the game." Ervine said. The one shining light for Zimbabwe was the performance of debutant Vincent Masekesa, with the spinner collecting a five-wicket haul in his first Test appearance in what was an eye-catching start to his international career. "The guys are really chuffed for him. He has a bright future, his attitude is outstanding. Getting five wickets on debut is outstanding," Ervine said of Masekesa. (ANI) First Published: 1 May 2025, 09:56 AM IST
Int'l Cricket Council
01-05-2025
- Sport
- Int'l Cricket Council
Mehidy joins exclusive group as Bangladesh clinch easy Test triumph
Star all-rounder Mehidy Hasan Miraz joined an exclusive group as Bangladesh wrapped up a comprehensive victory over Zimbabwe in the second Test in Chattogram on Wednesday. Mehidy became just the third Bangladesh player and 39th overall in Test cricket to score a century and collect a five-wicket haul in the same match as the Asian side completed an impressive innings and 106-run triumph to level the two-game series with Zimbabwe. It was a stunning all-round performance from Mehidy, who struck his second Test century when amassing 104 during Bangladesh's first innings and then took advantage of a pitch that had plenty in it for spinners when picking up five Zimbabwe wickets to help his side clinch the win. Mehidy, who joined former captain Shakib Al Hasan and all-rounder Sohag Gazi as Bangladesh players to have scored a century and registered a five-wicket haul in the same Test, played down the significance of his efforts after the match and instead paid tribute to his teammates for their role in the win. 'I am feeling good. We lost the first match, we had to win this match. The boys were excited (for this match), the commitment…we played as a team," Mehidy said. 'Credit goes to the bowlers. Taijul (Islam) supported me. Tanzim (Hasan Sakib) and Hasan Mahmud showed their character and they gave us an opportunity for getting a century. I have also played for so many years. We have a lot of senior players. We have good seniors in the team and they keep supporting, on how to play these conditions. They have lots of experience. If we play together, we are definitely a very good team.' Zimbabwe captain Craig Ervine was disappointed with the performance of his side, especially the efforts of the batting group after the top-order had made such a good start during the first innings. Half-centuries from Sean Williams and Nick Welch had put Zimbabwe in a strong position at 177/2 after they won the toss and elected to bat first, but a flurry of quick wickets saw the side dismissed for just 227 as Bangladesh gained all the momentum. 'The first innings, we knew it was a really good wicket to bat on first. The first day, for a long period, we did a lot of things right but let it slip towards the end. 227 in the first innings, you are always behind the eight-ball. The way they (Bangladesh) batted, they batted us out of the game.' Ervine said. The one shining light for Zimbabwe was the performance of debutant Vincent Masekesa, with the spinner collecting a five-wicket haul in his first Test appearance in what was a an eye-catching start to his international career. 'The guys are really chuffed for him," Ervine said of Masekesa. "He has a bright future, his attitude is outstanding. Getting five wickets on debut is outstanding.' News Mehidy Hasan 10/25/1997
